Aug 27
The government of Berlin, Germany announced days ago that protests against government coronavirus decrees and commands are now banned. Protests IN FAVOR of such impositions, of course, are quite welcome. Theason? Public health (of course). “The interior minister, Andreas Geisel, said the ban was prompted by coronavirus skeptics “deliberately” breaking hygiene safety rules agreed with …
Jul 12
The great LewRockwell.com writer Charles Burris has some keen insights into the development of modern pro-government “conservatism.” As government grew throughout the twentieth century, a strain of “conservatism” arose which seemed to support this vast new growth of government programs while quibbling at the margins with tax rates, or advocating more imprisonment or ever-more-powerful surveillance. …
Apr 02
India’s highest court has ordered news media and social media sites to carry the government’s “official version” of developments regarding the alleged Coronavirus crisis, to curb independent reporting.
Feb 01
The Chinese government is losing control of the narrative regarding the coronavirus. Nearly 12,000 people have been infected by the virus in China, and tourism to China has dropped considerably. Numerous stores and offices in China have closed and some airports have implemented quarantines of travelers. Now the Chinese government (and, it seems, other governments) …
Nov 28
Singapore, one of the freest places on earth by some accounts, is struggling to throw off press repressions. The Singapore government recently imposed new laws purportedly aimed at stamping out fake news. “A blogger said on Thursday he would not comply with a Singapore government order to correct a Facebook post in the first test …
Nov 17
Everyone knows that major social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google and Youtube have recently been on censorship binges–blocking, deplatforming, removing and censoring antigovernment criticism or content. Most free press advocates have been lulled into inaction regarding this because the online media platforms are private firms rather than government agencies. But now it has …
Oct 20
Australian papers are uniting to produce stories this week with most of their content redacted. The plan is in response to recent raids and assaults on the press by the Australian government. The government has imposed increasing “national security” restrictions on the press in recent years. Last year a court order prevented media from reporting …
Sep 09
The Agence France-Presse (AFP), the world’s oldest news agency (which is affiliated with the French government) is teaming up with the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) (a branch of the British government) and other news organizations in a global initiative to combat nongovernment and anti-government news (which they call “misinformation.”) See here. These government news bureaus …
Aug 17
Every government that ever existed sought to equate criticism of government with ‘terrorism,’ ‘treason’ or threats. Prior to the American Revolution, Brits could be criminally prosecuted for merely imagining the death of the king. (Numerous figures in English history were executed for merely imagining the death of the king in poetry or prose.) In the …
Aug 06
Indonesia: Undercover religious/government cops are roving the landscape searching for minor violations of Sharia-like moral codes. Hundreds of Indonesians have been arrested, imprisoned and publicly flogged and whipped for appearing affectionate to the opposite sex. Both men and women have been whipped for smooching or holding hands. In case anyone wonders what happens to those …
